Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-11-05
Wagner's Peculiar Art.

From wagner and Scenic Art" by Vim. +. Apthorp,
in Scribner's Magazine for November.
It is OF seemingly Insignificant Diet Ills that Wag-
ners peculiar art is made up; and It is by an en-
forced car for such details that the Bayreuth fes
tival-performances OF his music dramas still MAIN
tain their reason OF being. II the only mission OF
Bayreuth had been TO bring the "Niblungen" and
"ParsifaI" before the world, that mission would
nave been fulfilled long ago. Wagner's operas and
music dramas, from "RieuZi" to .'(iotteiddmmer-
ung," have worked their way into the regular
repertory or nearly every important opera house'1n
Germany, and with the death OF Wagner's widow
''Parstal" will probably cease TO be The exclusive
property OF Bayreuth. The Importance OF
Bayeuth In the art history OF this century lies far
less in the TACT Tat WaynerS greater music
dramas are performed there man In the peculiar
style and conditions in which they are given.
Bayreuth Is no longer the headquarters OF Way
merriam music drama; but IL Is distinctly the head
quarters or Wagnerianlsm, OF those ideas relating
TO mt,sico-dramatic performance in general which
we ind SET forth in Wan writings, and
which, although they apply with especial force TO
his own works, are also applicable To the dramatic
works OF Other COMPOSERS.
Last summer got q letter from a competent
judge ot such matt ers, then travelling in Germany:
the following sentence struck me peculiarly
noteworthy-doub.y so, perhaps, because 1t con-
firmed my own experience: Il heard .I.ohengriD'
in Vienna, and was DEMONSTRATIONS rushing up
TO the foOt-lights and holding high notes as long
as they could Just like old-fashioned Italian opera.
My experience In several cities here has led me TO
the conclusion that Bayreuth and Munich are the
only places where Wagner Is given as be should be y
Here we have the true present and, It Is TO be
hoped, future mission OF Bayreuth-to preserve in
tact the Wagneran traditions OF muSicO-dramatic
performance.
The leading principle OF the Wagnerian music
drama is, briefly, this: That, the teXt-wnat in
old-faShloned dialect was called the Hbrctto-once
written by tue Pc t, all other persons have 10
do With the work-composer, sJage-arcn.tcct,
scene-painter, coStumer, Stage-manager, con-
ductOr, and singing actOrs-ShOuld aim at one
thing and at one Thing only: the most exact per-
feet, and hfc-like expression and embodiment OF
the poets thought. or Wagner's ideas cOncerDi.. ..
the function OF the composer ana or his own ye
OF dramatic composition, much has been written,
both In explanation an cri iciSn. IT Is with his
IDEAS on the proper functions or the other CO.
operators in the work OF bringing the muSc-drana
into complete being-that is, ms ideas tne mat
FER OF musieo-dramatic perrormance--that have
especially 10 DO here. That these ideas OF Wag-
ner'S have been so almost universally msunder-
stood, or only partially understood, and 50 incom-
pleteiy carried out, Is to be attributed to two
things IL the first place. TO general lack Of ap-
probation OF the unexampled seriousness with
viii Wagner took every detail In a form OF art
whicl producers and periorners-and the public,
too for the matter or uhat-had been wont TO treat
with certain cavalier Donchalence; IN the next
place, 10 that force OF inertia which makes Il 50
difficult for the human mind to free itself from
the influence OF long -acquircd habit and leave the
beaten path OF familiar routine.